Stay at an Ottawa Hotel and See a Free Concert on Your TV

Stay at an Ottawa Hotel and See a Free Concert on Your TV

June 11, 2021 ctn_admin

Stay at a great hotel and get a free concert. What a great idea.

Ottawa Tourism and RBC Bluesfest announced today that the postponed-from-April Room Service Concert Series: An Ottawa Hotel Exclusive will take place over four weekends between June 18 and July 10, 2021. There are 20 participating Ottawa hotels which will offer fans a safe and exclusive concert and comedy experience over eight nights.

No tickets are required—anyone staying in a participating hotel on one of the following nights in June and July will have access to the scheduled concerts for that particular night through the TV in their room, with no logins or special codes required. This content is EXCLUSIVELY available through a participating hotel’s television screen; you can’t watch it from home or any other location.

Concerts begin at 7 pm each night and last approximately three hours. Each evening’s entertainment will be hosted and moderated by Lola Plaku, CEO of New York-based Lola Media Group which specializes in artist marketing, brand development, and management. Lola will host a live Q&A session with select artists, for which the public will be able to submit questions during the show.

The lineup includes: Friday, June 18: Alan Doyle; Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy; Fortunate Ones Saturday, June 19: Myles Goodwyn; Tim Hicks, Lindsay Ell Friday, June 25: Lennon Stella; Sofia Franklyn; Larkin Poe Saturday, June 26: Gerry Dee; Jeremy Hotz; Kyle Brownrigg Friday, July 2: Third Eye Blind; Moon vs Sun; Nefe Saturday, July 3: Lido Pimienta; Fousheé; Walk Off The Earth Friday, July 9: Colin James; Booker T. Jones; Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Saturday, July 10: A Virtual Conversation with Pete Davidson and Alex Moffat from SNL; Orville Peck

Guests can tailor the experience to their budget and needs, by ordering room service or takeout, and safely exploring nearby outdoor attractions. Ottawa Tourism provides useful suggestions and includes a handy Frequently Asked Questions section.

Ottawa Tourism urges guests to follow the directives of Ottawa Public Health and similar agencies to keep everyone safe. This means wearing a mask in common areas of the hotel; remaining at least two metres away from other guests; and ensuring that the only people in your hotel room are people who are part of your regular household.

“We were disappointed when we had to postpone the Room Service Concert Series in April but we’re very excited to roll this out in June and July. Ottawa Tourism is proud to support this innovation—the first of its kind that we’ve seen—to safely increase business to our local hotels and provide a much-needed boost to Ottawa’s tourism industry,” says Michael Crockatt, President and CEO of Ottawa Tourism. “We hope people take advantage of this special opportunity and make a full weekend—or two, or three—out of it. All the elements of a fantastic staycation are in play: great music and comedy shows, comfortable and secure accommodations, and a much-needed change of scenery.”

“We’ve pulled out all the stops to provide memorable weekend experiences,” says Mark Monahan, Executive Director of RBC Bluesfest. “While we wait to enjoy in-person events again, we’ve found a way to scratch that itch for a shared musical experience by bringing together a variety of great artists for hotel patrons to enjoy.”

This promotion aims to increase visitation to Ottawa-area hotels in a safe way, stimulating the local visitor economy, which continues to be hard hit by the pandemic. In 2019, Ottawa saw visitor spending of $2.2 billion; whereas now, Ottawa Tourism estimates a loss of more than $1.4 billion of that spend in 2020, and a further loss of $1.4 billion in 2021.

Funding provided by the Government of Ontario.